Soon to be Mrs Castle
by I'm Not Hooked On Your Phonics
Summary: "Is this Mrs. Castle?" A sister/sequel story to my story 'Between the Pages'.


**A/n:**** This is a sister story to Between the Pages. Read it if you want more of a back-story. **

**-K.H.**

Soon to be Mrs. Castle

Kate pushed through the double doors, searching for any sign of Castle.

He was everywhere.

On cardboard cut-outs, posters, and the back covers of books. Castle's face seemed to be stamped on anything you could possibly make personalized. She felt a strange floating feeling; a fan girl moment. Her mind began to swim; the whole experience seemed like an elaborate dream that the Universe had tried to create just to mess with her head. The spectacle was dizzying and became worse as she ventured farther and farther into the book store. Fans crowded in snaky lines throughout the store, most of the women around her age and older. Kate let her eyes follow the end of the first line to where it abruptly tangled with other lines and clumped together around a small temporary table. Moving through lines best she could, attempting to avoid the masses of women around her, and received many an unladylike threat from the many fans in line who didn't appreciate being pushed aside.

"Hey, lady! Watch it... get back to the end of the line-"

"-Oh I'm not here for an autograph... I'm just trying to get to the front to talk to my boyfriend..." Kate answered as she tried to pry a walkway toward her destination. The housewife who'd addressed her earlier just snarled back and stood her ground.

"You wish."

The woman retorted, pointing to the poster hanging on a bookcase beside her; the woman beside her snorted. '_If they only knew..._' Kate mused as she pulled past another group of ladies. At last she had made it to the through, facing a final wall of woman who huddled around the little table, clucking and flirting away. She tapped one on the shoulder, but the woman refused to budge. 'Get back to the end of the line.' Someone snapped Kate rolled her eyes, and pulled a small leather-cover case from her jacket pocket. _Why do I always do the stupidest things when he's involved?_

"Eh! Eh! NYPD, it's a matter of life or death!" Kate waved her badge, the Red Sea of women parting for her, leaving a perfect walkway. At the end of the temporary hallway, _he_ sat, a smile curling across his face.

"There she is," Castle greeted her with a quick kiss, much to the displeasure of the fan girls around them.

"I love it when you do that." He remarked, pulling a chair up beside him at the desk, waving her into it with a silly grin.

"Oh- please... it was warranted... these women are like _snakes_."

Castle snorted, glancing up at a fan girl who'd arrived at the front.

"Are we going to get out of here soon? You _promised_ _me_ lunch."

"I know, let's give it a half an hour or so... most of these ladies have been waiting all morning."

"What am I going to do in the meantime?" Kate let her hands rest on her hips.

"Sit and look pretty, get a look into what I do," Castle added, as he quickly signed another book. "Besides, maybe some of um' want to meet the real Nikki Heat." This he said with a sly look.

"_Fine_."

Kate reluctantly leaned into a chair beside him. She'd have preferred lunch, because it didn't involve crowds of woman fawning over her fiancé. She took in a quick gulp; hopefully he didn't remember when she had gone to one of his book signings years ago... surely he didn't remember how she'd clammed up at the sight of him.

"Hi- Mr. _Castle_." A flaxen haired teenage girl and her mother stood before the table. The girl looked extremely nervous, her brace-faced smile looking forced. He smiled at her, and gracefully took her book and signed it his name across the inside cover. The nerdy freckle covered girl watched Castle in curious observation.

"And, who do I write this out to?"

"Cassid-dy-y. Cassidy Anderson."

As Castle inscribed the book, writing a quick note, the girl eyed Kate.

"Is this _Mrs_. Castle?"

Castle looked up. The two locked eyes behind the desk, and Castle glanced down at Kate's engagement ring. Kate's eyes widened, and whispered threats that if he tried anything stupid 'she'd shoot him in the foot'. A huge smile grew across his mug, and he looked back at 'Cassidy'.

"Actually... you could say that. She's my fiancée... she'll be _Mrs_. Castle soon enough."

Kate glanced up in surprise. Oh...no. She hadn't even thought of that yet. When they got married, she'd be Mrs. Castle. A surprising shiver shook through her body. The title made her fill with a heart-warming but also wrenching feeling.

"Actually no."

"What?" Castle looked astonished. Kate sighed; it would make more sense for her not to change her name. It wasn't in her nature to do the 'traditional' thing... she didn't intend to start now. A compromise would work; a hyphen between the names. But she knew deep down, he'd want her to be Mrs. Castle...

"Well- it would be strange. At the precinct people would say, Castle and we'd both look up. Besides, Rick I call you 'Castle'-"

"-But Kate" Castle pouted.

"-Castle I wouldn't feel right about it."

The couple completely ignored the fact they were in the middle of a book store, with fans around. It was _so_ on. As Cassidy Anderson and her mother watched a slight look into their marital life together became apparent.

"But no one would call you that. You'd still be 'Beckett' I guess. But legally you'd be-"

"-Mrs. Castle-Beckett."

"Noooo."

"Why not? It makes sense."

"But don't you want to be Mrs. Castle?"

She _did_. It was a title much sought after by the single women of New York City. Kate knew she was marrying a man who loved her, and always would. It was a compromise to change her name; it would make him happy. As she had told herself earlier, rarely was it something high on her list to do the 'traditional' thing. But if that was the compromise she had to make for happiness... she'd do it.

"_Fine_."

"Mrs. Castle... Mrs. Kathryn Castle..." Rick mused out loud, causing Kate to send him an annoyed glare. As usually, he didn't care if it annoyed her.

"Rick-"

"-Mr. and Mrs. Richard Castle, Detective Castle..."

"Come here."

Kate shut him up with a sweet kiss that left his mind swimming. He leaned back into his chair with a wobbly grin.

"Thanks... Mrs. Castle."

Kate rolled her eyes, and then realized something. They'd completely forgotten poor little Cassidy Anderson and her mother, who'd stood patiently waiting to get her signed book back. Rick pushed the teen's copy of _Heat of Battle_ across the desk, and waited for the next group to assemble before the signing table. As Kate watched him inscribe, and close book after book, she saw a recurring signature on every book following.

_From Richard Castle, Jameston rook, Nikki Heat and KB ... the soon to be Mrs. Castle._

**A/n:**** Isn't it cute? I thought Between the Pages deserved a sister story.**

**Have a great summer!**

**Don't forget to tell me what you think! If you like this be sure to read my other stories...**

**- K.H. **


End file.
